Dry cleaning machine



Oct. 30, 1945. LE ROY E, BER Y 2,387,823

DRY CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 50, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Oct. 30, 1945. LE ROY E. BERRY 2,387,823

DRY CLEANING MACHINE Origihal Filed Sept. 30, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR .L.E.Berry Oct. 30, 1945.

LE ROY E. BERRY DRY CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 50, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR L. I. Berry BY Oct. 30, 1945. LE ROY E. BERRY DRY CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 30, 1940 7 SheetsSheet 4 Fog: 6

NOV.

[XI/ma m/c Mor n INVENTOR L. E. Berry BY Mi, M

Oct. 30, 1945. E ROY E, BERRY 7 2,387,823

DRY CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 50, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 45 46 46/7- 1 O C O INVENTOR L E. Berry Oct. 30, 1945.

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INVENTOR L.E.Berrg 011i: final,

Patented Oct. 30, 1945 inny CLEANING MACHINE Le Roy E. Berry, Stockton, Calif.

Original application September 30, 1940, Serial No. 358,989, now Patent No. 2,346,648, dated April 18, 1944. Divided and this application March 18, 1944,-Serial No. 527,108

1 Claim.

This invention relates to dry cleaning machines, and is a division of my application which resulted in Patent No. 2,346,648, dated Apr. 18,.

The machine includes a casing or tank having a rotary driven fabrics-receiving tumbler unit therein, said casing having a, door giving access to the unit for the insertion and removal of the fabrics.

One object of the present invention is to provide a safety interlock arrangement between the drive means of the tumbler unit and the casing door which will positively prevent opening of the latter whenever said drive means is in operation to spin the tumbler unit.

The tumbler unit includes a cylinder adapted to either spin about a vertical axis or oscillate about a, horizontal axis, and means to spin the cylinder and independently oscillate the same. The machine itself includes means to lock the casing door closed. A further object of this invention is to provide control means to place the cylinder oscillating means in operation, and a control mechanism to place the spinning means in operation, actuate the lockingmeans, and at the same time prevent the oscillation control means from being operated.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved machine.

Figure 2 is a plan of the tank with the cover removed, showing the cylinders as alined with the oscillating shaft but with the latter disengaged, and with one cylinder opened for loading.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on line 33 of Fig. 2, showing the oscillating shaft engaged with the cylinder unit.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the mechanism below the tank, including the control pedals.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing the latch or holding unit for the oscillating shaft control.

Figure 9 is an end elevation of the control unit shown in Fig. 6, with the switch open and with the position-pedal lock and the door latch disengaged.

Figure 10 is a similar view, showing the switch closed, and the position-pedal lock and the door latch engaged.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary vertical section on line Il-ll of Fig. 6, but with the parts in the position of Fig. 10.

Figure 12 is a plan of the gear box for the oscillatin drive, showing the oscillating shaft as turning in one direction and as retracted.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary section on line |3-l3 of Fig. 12.

Figure 14 is an enlarged fragmentary section v on line |4 -|4 of Fig. 12.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation show- Figure 15 is a plan of the gear box, but showing the oscillating shaft as advanced and turning in the opposite direction.

Figure 16 is a fragmentary section on line lG-Hi of Fig. 15.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the machine comprises acylindrical closed tank I supported with its axis vertical and a certain distance from the floor by legs 2, and connected with fluid circulating pipes P. The top of the tank is provided with a loading and air intake opening 3 disposed toward the front, and a window I rearwardly of the opening 3. A cover 5, mounted as hereafter described, normally closes the opening 3 in an air-tight manner.

Projecting upwardly into the tank axially thereof from a suitable fixed bearing 6 below the tank is a drive shaft I, turnable in a relatively long bearing -8 in the tank. This shaft, above the bearing 8, is rigid with a horizontal journal 9 for a stub shaft In on the adjacent ends of which arefixed the fabric retaining cylinders l I. These cylinders are disposed with their axes horizontal and coincident with the axis of shaft 10, and are of perforate or open-work construction except on said adjacent ends, which are solid to prevent grease from bearing 9 from getting into the cylinders. Each cylinder has a slidable door 12 forming a portion of its circumferential wall and adapted to be held closed by a latch bolt l3 on the cylinder at one end of the door opening and slidable axially of the cylinder. The door opening of each cylinder in turn, when the cylinder is properly disposed, registers with opening 3 so that fabrics may be readily inserted into or removed from the. cylinder. When the latch bolt is slid clear of the door when the cylinder is in said position, one end thereof is received in a socket |4 mounted on an arcuate band |4a fixed on the tank wall, so that the cylinder cannot move out of line until the bolt is withdrawn from the socket.

It is to be noted that the latch bolt projects from the end of the cylinder a certain distance before it clears the door and allows the latter to be opened.

Owing to the provision of arcuate band Ma which projects into the path of movement of the latch bolt, such clearing of the latter from the door cannot be effected until the cylinder is in its proper position, or when the bolt alines with socket l4. This prevents a careless operator from possibly opening the door when it is out of position, and thus prevents any possibility of rotation or shifting of the cylinder while the door is open. It will also be noted that the doors on the two cylinders and the cooperating latching mecha-. nisms are oppositely disposed. This is in order to balance the cylinders, so that vibration due to uneven weight distribution will be avoided.

Fluid thrown about the tank by the revolving cylinder unit is prevented from flowing down into bearing 3 by a skirt l5 fixed with bearing 9 and depending about bearing 8. Liquid is also kept from bearing 9 by endless catch troughs l6 mounted on the adjacent heads of the cylinders.

The shaft 1 is driven by means of a pulley I1 thereon below the tank and from which a belt l3 extends to a, drive motor IS, the control switch 20 for the circuit of which is normally-open and is actuated as will hereinafter appear.

Disposed axially of the cylinders and mounted on their opposite ends are non-circular sockets 2| for the tapered and similarly shaped end portion 22 of a horizontal shaft 23 disposed radially of the tank. This shaft is mounted for both rotation and axial movement in a bearing 24 on the back of the tank, and projects thence into a gear box 25 in which the control mechanism for oscillating as well as axially moving said shaft is mounted, as will appear.

The shaft end 22 is kept clear of either socket while the shaft 1 is rotating, and vice versa, by interconnecting control and safety features which will be described. Also, the shaft end 22 cannot be advanced into a socket unless the cylinder unit is disposed so that it is in line with shaft 23.

Such interconnecting control features are constructed and arranged as follows:

Fixed on shaft 23 within the gear box is a spur gear 26 slidably meshing with a pinion 21 which is intermittently driven in opposite directions in a, manner which will be seen later.

The gear is provided with a throw-out fork unit 28 of conventional character mounted on a shaft 23 which extends crosswise of shaft 23 and which is yieldably urged in a direction to cause said shaft to be advanced into a, cylinder socket by a spring device 30.

The shaft 29 projects from that end of the gear box which is to the left of tank I and has a shouldered collar 3| thereon as well as an upstanding arm 32 see Fig. 5). The shoulder is normally engaged by a, horizontal pivoted latch bar 33, disposed to then prevent rotation of shaft 29 in a direction to advance shaft 23 and maintaining spring 30 under pressure. The shoulder of the collar is radial or abrupt and engages the adjacent end of bar 33 at substantially a right angle, so that the pressure of spring 30 exerts a strong frictional holding action against the bar. A rod 34 projects through and depends from the-bar, said rod having a head 34a above and norma y bearing on the bar, and a light spring 35 pressing up against the bar and tending to lift the same, but of insuflicient strength to overcome the spring-actuated pressure of the shoulder of collar 3| against the bar.

The rod at its lower end is connected to the horizontal leg of a bell crank 38. The upstanding leg of the bell crank is connected to a pull rod 31 which in turn is connected to a horizontal lever 33. 'This lever is pivoted under the tank for horizontal swinging movement, and projects from the front of the tank on the left side in the form of a foot pedal 39 (see Fig. 4). The pull rod is connected to the lever at such a. point relative to the pivot thereof that shifting of the pedal toward the left raises rod '34.and places the spring 35 under increased tension andtending to lift the bar clear of collar 3|. Such movement of the lever is resisted by a spring 30. A pull rod 4| is connected to arm 32 and extends forwardly along the left side of the tank for operation from the front thereof.

It will therefore be seen that unless the bar 33 is raised from the collar 3|, the shaft 23 cannot be advanced, and such release will only be effected by the positive lifting of rod 34 had by lateral movement of the foot pedal, accompanied by a pull on rod 4| which backs the collar shoulder from the bar and allows spring 35 to act and raise the bar clear of said collar. As soon as this is done, rod 4| may be released-whereupon spring will act to advance shaft 23. Due to this spring action, the advance of said shaft will be yieldable or cushioned, so that its end 22 will enter a cylinder socket smoothly, yet with asnug fit, due to the taper of said end.

In order that the above shifting of the pedal, which is necessary to enable the shaft 23 to be advanced to engage the cylinder unit, will at the same time serve to dispose and hold said unit alined with the shaft 23, a double cam plate 42 is fixed on the shaft 1 below pulley IT. This cam is adapted to be engaged on its edge by a roller 43 mounted on the inner edge of lever 38 (see Fig. 4). The cam edge is the same contour on both sides, and the contour is such that regardless of the initial position of the cam (and cylinders) relative to the lever 38 and its roller, pressure of the roller against the cam, had by shifting of pedal 39 to the left, will turn shaft 1 in .one direction or the other until the roller engages a depression 01' seat 42a in the cam edge. When the roller is so engaged, the cam will be held from further rotation, and the cylinders are then alined with the shaft 23.

When engaging the shaft 23 with the cylinder unit, the foot pedal 39 is held in a shifted position while Pulling on rod 4|, after which the pedal and rod may be released. The latch bar 33 then rides on top of the collar 3| above its shoulder, ready to reengage said shoulder whenever rod 4| is pulled to retract the shaft 23.

The motor switch 20, which is mounted to the left of the tank, is closed by upward movement of the outer end of a pivoted blade 44, which is operatively connected to a vertical rod 45 (see Figs. 6, 9, and 10). Upward movement is imparted to' the rod, to raise the blade and close the switch, by means of a bell crank unit 46 mounted on theadjacent side of the tank. One leg of the bell crank is operatively connected to the rod while the other leg is disposed near the front of the tank and is formed as an operating handle or lever. The rod at its lower end has lost-motion connection with on end of a lever unit 41 pivoted intermediate its ends in a fixed position. This lever at its other end overhangs lever 38 when the latter is in its normal non-shifted position (see Fig. 4), and is formed on said end with a depending pin 48 normally clear of but adapted to enter a socket 49 in lever 38 when lever 41 is tilted by raising of rod 45, as shown in Fig. 10. In this manner, the lever 38 is prevented from being shifted when switch 20 is closed, so that shaft 23 cannot be advanced when shaft 1 is rotating and the cylinder unit is spinning, and which would probably damage the machine' In order to hold the rod 45, raised when pressure on the actuating handle is released, said rod is provided near the bottom with a lateral catch pin 50 adapted when the rod is raised to engage and seat ona shoulder 5| formed on an upstanding latch arm 52 (see Fig. 11); said arm being fixed on a pivot shaft 53. A spring 54 applied to rod 45 tends to pull the same down.

In order to release the latch arm when desired after a spinning operation, so as to cause switch 20 to open and stop the motor, and to alsobrake the rapid rotation of the cylinder unit, I provide the following arrangement: Pivoted under the tank adjacent the right hand side thereof for movement in a vertical plane is a foot lever 55 (see Fig. 4). At its inner pivoted end, this lever is provided with a short, upstanding arm 56 (see Fig. 3) to which one end of a horizontal pull rod 51 is connected. The other end of this rod is connected to one leg of a horizontal bell crank 58 mounted under the tank to one side of and adjacent pulley IT. A link rod, 59 is connected to the other leg of the bell crank and to a short arm .68 upstanding from shaft 53 (see Fig. 6). A spring 6| is applied to bell crank 58 in a direction to maintain the outer end of foot lever 55 raised, and catch arm 52 pressed against pin 50. v

Said other le of the-bell crank 58 extends in facing relation to the position of pulley l1 ex-, posed between the runs of belt l8, and is provided with a brake shoe 62 normally clear of but adapted to engage said portion of the pulley, which thus also serves as a brake drum. The parts above described are arranged so that when the foot lever 55 is depressed, the brake will be applied and the link 59 will be pushed to cause latch arm 52 to be disengaged from pin 58. This will allow spring 54 to pull rod 45 down, opening switch 20 before any brake pressure is applied. At the same time the holding pin 48 will be withdrawn from lever 38. All the controls are thus returned to their original position.

Movement of rod 45 also controls the locking and interlocking of tank door 5 in the following manner: The door is flexibly connected to and depends from an overreaching arm 62 which at one end forms a handle and adjacent the handle is adapted, when the door is closed, to engage a fixed latch plate 63 upstanding from the tank (see Figs. 7 and 8). At its other end, the arm is pivoted on a bracket 64 on the tank.

The upper end of rod 45 is pivoted on the horizontal leg of a bell crank 65 pivoted on the bracket 64 below arm 62, whose vertical upstanding arm is pivoted on a locking bolt 66 slidable in a guide 61 on arm 62. When rod 45 is in its normal lowered position, the bolt 66 is clear of a socket 68 in plate 83, and the point of pivotal connection of said bolt with the bell crank is coaxial with the pivot of arm 82, so that the door can be swung open or closed without interference or binding. When the rod 45 is raised, however,

rotations by the following means:

A constantly driven shaft 89, preferably connected by belt drive 69a to a motor M, projects into gear box 25 and is there gear-connected to another shaft 10 disposed below and at right an gles to shaft 23, and in the same horizontal plane as shaft ll of pinion 21. A bevel gear." on shaft H has lost-motion connection therewith and engages a pair of bevel pinions l3 turnable on shaft Ill. A clutch sleeve 14 is keyed on shaft 10 to alternately engage the bevel pinions in driving relation with said shaft. This sleeve is engaged by a shifting fork 15 fixed on a shaft 18 parallel to shaft 10. Shaft 16 is engaged by a slidable upstanding yoke H. (see Fig. 13), counterbalancing or cushion springs 18 being mounted on the shaft between the ends of the yoke and a fixed collar 19 on said shaft.

Transversely spaced upstanding guide and stop lugs 88 on the yoke receive a disc 8| therebetween, said disc having diametrally opposed pins 82 projecting laterally therefrom to alternately engage the lugs on opposite sides, as shown in Figs. 13 and 16. The disc is provided with an overbalancing weight 83 on one side between pins 82, the weight being of suflicient effect to impart a shifting movement of the fork and clutch sleeve when the disc is turned so that the weight exerts its influence in one direction or the other.

The disc 8| is mounted on a screw sleeve 84 slidably keyed on the shaft 23 and threaded through a fixed bearing 85, so as the sleeve 84 rotates, it is shifted lengthwise relative tofthe' disc, which remains in a fixed position due to the guide lugs 80. An enlarged head 86 fixed on one end of sleeve 84 has a shoulder 81 to engage a stop 88 on the adjacent side 'of the disc 8!, while an adjustable collar 89 on the sleeve on the opposite side of the disc has an oppositely facing, shoulder 90 to engage a stop 9| on the corre-' sponding side of the disc (see Fig. 12) The pins 82 are radially out from the collar and head, so as not to interfere therewith.

The clutch sleeve 14 is of course always disposed in engagement with one pinion or the other, and it will therefore be seen that the shaft 23, and sleeve 84 thereon, will be driven in one direction from shaft I0 through bevel gear 12 and the spur pinion and gear 21 and 28. As the sleeve 84 shifts its position due to its threaded engagement with bearing in the direction shown in Fig. 12, the shoulder will ultimately engage stop SI and throw the disc 84 over. This will reverse the position of the pins 82. rel'ative to lugs 80, and the shifting fork will be instantly reversed in position, the cushioning action of springs 18 providing for a smooth and quiet clutching action. The direction of rotation of shaft H is thus instantly reversed, reversing the screw sleeve, causing collar 89 to retract from the disc. The head 88 is now approaching the disc, and upon reaching the same, will throw the disc over again, due to the engagement of shoulder 8! with stop 88. The direction of rotation of shaft 23 will thus be again reversed. The number of rotations of the shaft in either direction before a reversal takes place, of course depends on the spacing of the head 86 and collar 89 from each other, as will be evident, and the number of rotations may be altered to suit different conditions by adjusting the collar along the screw sleeve. It may here be noted that these cylinder oscillating purposes or not, the only manual control being that applied to the axial shifting oi. shaft 23.

To restate the operations briefly, after the cylinders are loaded with equal weights of fabrics or garments, and their doors are closed and locked, and the door 5 is also closed and latched, pedal is then shifted and held while the rod H is pulled and then released. The pedal may then be released also. The cylinders will then be oscillated, and after a desired time of operation, rod ll is pulled to withdraw and hold the shaft 23 clear of the cylinder unit.

The handle of bell crank 46 is then shifted to close the switch 20, which starts a spinning of the cylinder unit; such spinning being at high speed to provide for a thorough extraction of fluid from the cylinders.

After the necessary time of spinning has elapsed, the foot lever 55 is depressed, which opens the switch and applies the brake on the rapidly revolving unit.

It is then desirable to exhaust the fumes from the tank before opening the door 5. For accomplishing this, I have provided a blower 92 back of the tank above gear box 25 and driven by motor 92a. The intake pipe 93 of the blower is connected near the bottom of the tank, and its exhaust stack 94 leads to outside atmosphere. A closure 95 is provided for the intake, which is controlled from the front of the tank by a suitable linkage and lever mechanism, indicated generally at 96. When the blower is in use, door 5 is opened to allow fresh air to pass into and be drawn through the tank.

Two cylinders are employed not only for bal- I ance and to allow of high speed of rotation or spinning without excessive vibration, but to enable two different types of fabrics to be cleaned simultaneously. Also, the cylinders are of course provided with internal lifters or baflles, disposed in spaced relation about the periphery of the cylinders.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device,

still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a cleaning machine, a cylinder unit, means mounting the unit for rotation about a vertical axis and including a vertical shaft, a motor to rotate the shaft, a normally open switch in the circuit of the motor, manual means to close the switch including a vertical rod movable upwardly from a predetermined neutral position, releasable holding means preventing return of the rod when once so moved, a closed tank in which the unit is mounted, a door on the top of said tank to give access to the cylinder unit, a latching bar extending over the door, the rod extending upwardly alongside the tank to the tank top adjacent the door, a pivot on the tank for the bar disposed between the door and rod, a bell crank having a horizontal and a vertical arm pivoted on the tank top below the bar pivot, the rod being pivoted on the horizontal arm of the bell crank, a horizontally movable locking bolt pivoted on the vertical arm of the bell crank, the pivot points of the bar and bolt coinciding, a guide for the bolt on the bar, a socket element on the tank for the bolt in position to receive the latter when the door is closed and the rod is raised, and separate means to release the holding means.

LE ROY E. BERRY. 

